Tango in Silk - A Mesmerizing Cross-Cultural Dance Story Comes to Camden and Edinburgh Fringe 2025

Tango in Silk is an evocative original ballroom duet by acclaimed Chinese dancer and choreographer Xi Liu, premiering at Camden Fringe and Edinburgh Festival Fringe this summer. A deeply personal exploration of identity, migration, and transformation, the piece fuses the sharp sensuality of Argentine tango with the lyrical elegance of 1930s Shanghai aesthetics.

Set to a dynamic, emotionally textured soundtrack, Tango in Silk follows the journey of an East Asian woman newly arrived in the UK. Her dance begins with quiet uncertainty — hesitant gestures, reserved steps — and gradually builds into confident, grounded movement. The choreography embodies moments of cultural friction, resistance, and ultimately, empowerment. In a striking finale, the character’s physicality fuses the bold rhythm of tango with the softness and dignity of traditional Chinese grace, symbolized by her dramatic qipao (cheongsam) costume.

Performed by Xi Liu, the piece is both visually arresting and emotionally layered, offering audiences a poetic narrative of belonging and becoming. Each attendee will also receive a small gift — a traditional Chinese fan — as a gesture of cultural appreciation and connection.

Listing information:

Edinburgh Festival Fringe: 2 August 2025, 6:45 PM at C aurora (main house) Lauriston Halls, 28 Lauriston Street, Edinburgh EH3 9DJ

Camden Fringe: 9 August 2025, 6:00 PM at The Courtyard Theatre, Bowling Green Walk, 40 Pitfield Street, N1 6EU https://camdenfringe.com/events/tango-in-silk/

©️ Photo Credit: Wan & Kelly Lin, Poster Design: Qiqi Zhang